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Export to DWG

Ideate Automation can be used with Revit to export the sheets and/or views from your Revit model to DWG. Multiple Revit models can be processed in a single task.

Streamline your Revit to DWG exports, eliminate user error, and save valuable time by scheduling automated exports outside regular work hours with Ideate Automation. By predefining all your variables, you ensure consistent and accurate DWG deliverables. The process supports batch exports of Dynamic Views and Sheets predefined using Ideate BIMLink, making it ideal for repetitive tasks or scheduled tasks. For greater control over file naming, you can also leverage Ideate ReNumber to incorporate Revit parameters into your export file names, ensuring a consistent and standards-compliant naming convention across all output files.

Topics in This Section:

Sample Scripts
Defining Workset Conditions
Managing Export Setup in Revit
Export to DWG using:

Customize Export File Naming
Examples of File Naming

Sample Scripts

Ideate Automation includes multiple scripts for DWG export supplied with the Sample Content. Choose the one that fits your workflow:

Script Name	What to Export?
AUT-Export_DWG	Name of View/Sheet Set defined in the Revit Project
AUT-Export_DWG_Long	Name of View/Sheet Set defined in the Revit Project
IBL-Export_DWG_Dynamic	View/Sheet Set defined by a BIMLink link definition
ISW-Export_DWG	View/Sheet Set defined using a BIMLink link definition, a saved set within the Revit project, or by specifying View and Sheet names.

Each script can be customized on view naming, DWG export settings, and export folder paths.

Defining Workset Conditions

Each sample script includes the option to define Workset conditions. Use this setting to control which Worksets are closed when the Revit model is opened. All Worksets will remain open except those you specify. Learn more about configuring Worksets

Managing Export Setup in Revit

The DWG Export Setup can be established in the Revit model prior to using Ideate Automation to export to DWG. If they are not, the default or last selected setting in Revit will be used. The following image shows what settings are defined in Revit and where Ideate Automation can control certain settings in a saved task.

Export Setup

Select Export Setup

Ideate Automation will use the <in-session export setup> if the Export Setup field is left blank; otherwise, it will use the specific named setup defined in the Task Script Variables. You can read more on this Autodesk Help page Modify DWG/DXF Export Setup.

Export to DWG using a Dynamic Sheet/View List

Revit sheet sets can be difficult to manage as they are not rule based and require manual editing. While it’s simple to identify which sheets or views should be included in a DWG export process when there are only a few sheets/views to pick from, this becomes difficult and error-prone in real-world projects with dozens or hundreds of sheets to manage.

With Ideate Automation + Ideate BIMLink you can create a dynamic list of sheets or views based on built-in or custom Revit and Ideate BIMLink properties. These lists can then be used to define the list of sheets/views to be exported to DWG, streamlining the process and reducing manual efforts.
Examples of the types of dynamic Sheet/View sets you can create within BIMLink for use with Ideate Automation include:

Sheets with specific naming patterns, such as starting with the number ABC-123-A-
All Sheets that contain a sheet name the includes Block A
Any floor or ceiling plan view in the project where the phase is NEW and that is not a dependent view
Only views that contain DWG in the name
Sheets marked for export using a custom parameter (e.g., ExportToDWG = Yes)
Views filtered by discipline or phase
Sheets belonging to a specific drawing milestone like a revision.

Example: To export all Sheets with a Sheet Name containing “Block A” as DWG files, follow the steps below:

BIMLink filtering

Launch Ideate Automation and select Create
From the Ideate Software Scripts folder, select the folder called 01 Publishing - Dynamic, then pick the script at the right called IBL-Export_DWG_Dynamic.
Review the description of this task below, then pick Next.
Configure the required Task Script Variables for this task as follows:

Revit Files - Pick one or more Revit files, or use File List to batch process multiple models.
Export Folder - Choose the destination folder where the exported DWG files will be saved.
BIMLink Sheet/View List - By default, this is set to \${Script.Folder}\Sheets.link, which imports a sample link definition from the script folder: C:\Program Files\Ideate\Ideate Automation\en-US\Samples\Ideate Software Scripts\01 Publishing – Dynamic

You can modify this path to point to your own BIMLink link definition or add additional link definitions as needed. The following sample link files are included in the default folder:

Sheets.link – Lists all sheets in the project.
Sheets_01.link – Lists all sheets that end with “01”
Sheets_A1.link – Lists all sheets that contain “A1”
Sheets_M1.link – Lists all sheets that contain “M1”
Sheets_S1.link – Lists all sheets that contain “S1”

These samples can be used as-is or customized to suit your project requirements.

File Name - This setting uses the “short name” option from Revit for naming the exported DWG files. If you want to customize the file naming convention, refer to DWG Export with Custom File Naming.
DWG Export Setup - Enter the name of your preferred export setup or leave it blank to use Revit’s default <in-session export setup>. For more information on creating and managing DWG export setups, refer to Managing Export Setup in Revit.

After selecting your desired options, pick Next.
On the Confirm Task Selection page, review all variables. You can also edit the task name if needed.
Click Run to execute the task immediately or choose Schedule to set it to run later.

Confirm Task Selections

Your export will generate one DWG file per sheet defined in the BIMLink link definition named “Sheets” As the project evolves, this list will automatically update - expanding or shrinking based on the criteria specified in the BIMLink definition.

Export Revit Sheet/View Sets to DWG

If you prefer to publish DWG files using a pre-defined Revit sheet or view set, use the scripts located under Automation Scripts\03 Publishing\AUT-Export_DWG and Ideate Software Scripts\01 Publishing – Dynamic\ISW-Export_DWG. These scripts allow you to reference an existing Sheet/View set from your Revit project, rather than using a dynamic list. You can enter the name of your saved set or leave the field blank to use the default Sheet/View set saved in the project.

Export Revit Views by Name to DWG

The ISW-Export_DWG script enables exporting DWG files from Revit using selected views, with the ability to name each exported file using an Ideate ReNumber rule for consistent and standards-based file naming. Refer to DWG Export with Custom File Naming.

BIMLink filtering

Export with Custom File Naming

Ideate Automation supports intelligent file naming by leveraging any Revit parameters through Ideate ReNumber. This allows exports like DWG files and other exports to follow consistent, standards-compliant naming conventions tailored to project requirements. Refer to DWG Export with Custom File Naming.

Examples of File Naming

Here are some examples of how you can modify the File Name variable to achieve your desired naming convention:

Desired File Name	Revit Option	Automation Script	Variable Settings
A102	default short name	AUT-Export_DWG IBL-Export_DWG_Dynamic	no change needed
rac_basic_sample_project-Sheet - A102 - Plans	default long name	AUT-Export_DWG-Long	no change needed
rac_basic_sample_project-Sheet-A102	N/A	IBL-Export_DWG_Dynamic	${revit_file:revit.filename.noextension}-${filename_parameter_value}
20221212-A102	N/A	AUT-Export_DWG IBL-Export_DWG_Dynamic	${today.yyyyMMdd}-${filename_parameter_value}
2022.123456-A102	N/A	AUT-Export_DWG IBL-Export_DWG_Dynamic	${Revit.CurrentFile.ProjectInfo.PROJECT_NUMBER}-${filename_parameter_value}
18-003-ABC-XX-D-A-00001	N/A	AUT-Export_DWG IBL-Export_DWG_Dynamic ISW-Export_DWG	Refer to DWG Export with Custom File Naming

File Naming Tips

The default file naming for many of the scripts that export to DWG is controlled by the variable ${filename_parameter_value}. This value is in turn controlled by either a sheet or view name parameter. The default value for the sheet elements is to use the parameter called “Sheet Number” while the default value for view elements is to use the parameter called “View Name”. You can substitute your own parameter value if so desired though you must ensure that the parameter value is unique within the project to avoid the problem of one view name overwriting another. Refer to Renumber Sheets to ISO 19650 for tips on creating the required sheet naming values for either the Sheet Name or any custom parameter.

For example, to comply with ISO 19650 standards, many people are managing the required sheet number value within a custom parameter name. In the example shown below, the sheet number is combined on the title block to include two custom parameters called Project Code and Originator, both of which are stored under Project Information.

Both the AUT-Export_DWG and IBL-Export_DWG_Dynamic can be used to deliver unique dwg file names by adjusting the File Name variable to:

${Revit.CurrentFile.ProjectInfo.Project Code}-${Revit.CurrentFile.ProjectInfo.Originator}-${view_parameterValue}

Any parameter found under Project Information can follow this syntax to become part of the file naming. Read in more detail about Basic Scripting with Ideate Automation.

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